Diving board apparatus



Aug. 1, 1967 .1. M. RACINA D IVING BOARD APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1963 INVENTOR JOSEPH M. RACINA WW iQQ ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Office 3,333,845 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 3,333,845 DIVING BOARD APPARATUS Joseph M. Racina, 73 Grove Ave., Woodbridge, NJ. 07095 Filed Aug. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 300,325 3 Claims. (Cl. 272-66) This invention relates to apparatus for constructing diving boards and, particularly, for setting up supports for a diving board assembly.

Generally, a diving board support assembly comprises a pair of inverted U-shaped members which are fixed in the ground at different levels, with the diving board secured to the U-shaped members. It is important, for proper operation of the diving board and to prevent its damage in use, to insure that the U-shaped support members be absolutely level and in alignment. At the present time, there is no completely satisfactory and simple method or apparatus to achieve this end.

Accordingly, the principles and objects of the invention are concerned with the provision of improved apparatus for mounting a diving board and, particularly, for constructing the support apparatus therefor.

Briefly, the apparatus of the invention includes a generally rectangular frame which is supported level on the ground in the desired location for the diving board. The frame includes opposed sides or rails, to which are secured two pairs of upright support members. The members of each pair of uprights are identical, but one pair rises to a higher vertical level than the other. The usual inverted U-shaped supports for the diving board are seated one on each pair of upright supports. With the U-shaped members thus supported, the free ends of the legs are embedded in the ground by means of concrete or the like. Since the rectangular frame is level, the upright supports are level and the U-shaped members are level. Thus, when the diving board itself is physically secured to the U-shaped supports, it, too, is level and is not damaged in subsequent operation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear end view, partly in section, of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus of the invention includes a generally rectangular frame 10, preferably of metal, which includes opposed parallel sides or rails 16 and 20 which are secured together by end rails 24 and 28. The side rails 16 and 20 may be made of angle iron or the like, and, in a preferred embodiment, they are L-shaped or inverted T-shaped and include a horizontal portion 32 and a vertical portion 38. The vertical portions 38 of the side rails are parallel to each other and are of the same width so their top surfaces lie in the same plane. In addition, the vertical portions 38 are provided with a series of aligned apertures 44 which are spaced apart at relatively close intervals along the length of the rails. The apertures all lie in the same horizontal plane. The horizontal portions 32 of each side rail lie in the same plane and are used to support the rectangular frame level on the ground at the desired location for the diving board. The ends 24 and 28 of frame 10 may also be L-shaped or T-shaped. In any case, the frame 10 is carefully constructed so that the top surfaces of the sides and ends lie all in the same plane and the bottom surfaces similarly lie in the same plane.

The rectangular frame is supported on the ground by any suitable means, for example, bricks, blocks, or the like placed under the frame. The support blocks are set up so that the rectangular frame is level, and this condition may be checked by a spirit level 42 placed on, or lying across, the side rails.

A pair of inverted L-shaped upright members 50 are secured, by means of bolts 52 or the like, to a first set of apertures 44, for example, near one end of the frame. The upright members include a vertical arm 54 and a horizontal arm 58 which is generally U-shaped, as shown, for a purpose to be described. The upright members 50 rise to the same height above the rectangular frame. A similar pair of upright members 50' is secured, by bolts or the like, to a second pair of apertures 44 in the frame remote from the first pair. These two upright members 50' are identical to each other and are similar to the first pair in that they include vertical arms 54' and U-shaped horizontal arms 58'. The second pair of uprights 50' rises to a greater height than the first pair 50. Since the rectangular frame 10 is level and since the members of each pair of uprights 50 and 50' are identical, the horizontal arms 58 and 58' of each pair of uprights are level.

A first inverted U-shaped support member 62, including legs 64, 66 and a connecting portion 68, is positioned on the first pair of uprights 50, with its connecting portion 68 resting on the U-shaped horizontal arms 58 and with its legs 64 and 66 extending downwardly on either side of the rectangular frame. The legs are of such length that they extend a suitable distance into holes 74 formed in the ground to receive the legs. These holes are filled with concrete 76 to secure the U-shaped member in place. A second similar U-shaped member 62' is positioned on the second pair of uprights 50' and is similarly embedded in concrete 76' in the ground. When the concrete has set, the upright members 50, 50' and the entire rectangular frame 10 may be removed and the diving board 80 may be suitably attached to the U-shaped members in conventional fashion.

With the principles of the invention thus described, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the specific mechanical features shown and described. For example, the sides of the rectangular frame need not be shaped exactly as described so long as the frame can be set level and can support the uprights properly. In addition, the uprights themselves can be secured to the side rails of the frame by any suitable means other than the apertures and bolts described above. The uprights themselves, for example, might have integral clamping means.

I claim:

1. A diving board assembly comprising a generally rectangular frame oriented horizontally and having a length somewhat greater than the spacing between the supports for a diving board, said frame including a pair of side rails, each having a plurality of apertures with the apertures in one being horizontally aligned with corresponding apertures in the other,

a first pair of upright support members secured to a pair of apertures in said side rails of said frame,

a second pair of upright support members secured to another pair of apertures in said side rails of said frame,

said pairs of upright support members rising to different vertical levels from said frame and including concave support plates at their upper ends,

a pair of diving board supports positioned one on each pair of upright supports and supported on said concave support plates, and

means securing the free ends of said pair of diving board supports in the ground, said pair of diving board supports being adapted to support a diving board.

2. The assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said diving board supports comprise inverted U-shaped members.

3. A diving board assembly comprising a frame oriented horizontally and including a pair of side rails each having a generally L-shaped crosssection and including a horizontal arm and a vertical iarm, said horizontal arm being adapted to be supported on the ground,

each vertical arm of said side rails having a series of apertures, with the apertures in one vertical arm be ing horizontally aligned with the corresponding apertures in the other vertical arm,

a first pair or upright support brackets secured to a first pair .of opposed and aligned apertures in said vertical arms of said side rails,

a second pair of upright support brackets secured to a second pair of opposed and aligned apertures in said vertical arms of said side rails,

said pairs of upright support brackets rising to different vertical levels from said frame, a generally concave support plate at the upper end of each of said upright support brackets,

a pair of inverted U-shaped diving board supports positioned one on each pair of support plates on said upright supports,

means securing said pair of diving board supports in the ground, and

a diving board secured to said pair of diving board supports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,221,048 1 1/ 1940 Gilson 52-678' 2,747,871 5/ 1956 Brandt et a1 27266 3,006,115 10/1961 Hillberg 52678 X 3,035,837 5/1962 Austin 272-66 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A DIVING BOARD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FRAME ORIENTED HORIZONTALLY AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF SAID RAILS EACH HAVING A GENERALLY L-SHAPED CROSSSECTION AND INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL ARM AND A VERTICAL ARM, SAID HORIZONTAL ARM BEING ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED ON THE GROUND, EACH VERTICAL ARM OF SAID SIDE RAILS HAVING A SERIES OF APERTURES, WITH THE APERTURES IN ONE VERTICAL ARM BEING HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED WITH THE CORRESPONDING APERTURES IN THE OTHER VERTICAL ARM, A FIRST PAIR OF UPRIGHT SUPPORT BRACKETS SECURED TO A FIRST PAIR OF OPPOSED AND ALIGNED APERTURES IN SAID VERTICAL ARMS OF SAID SIDE RAILS, A SECOND PAIR OF UPRIGHT SUPPORT BRACKETS SECURED TO A SECOND PAIR OF OPPOSED AND ALIGNED APERTURES IN SAID VERTICAL ARMS OF SAID SIDE RAILS, SAID PAIRS OF UPRIGHT SUPPORT BRACKETS RISING TO DIFFERENT VERTICAL LEVELS FROM SAID FRAME, A GENERALLY CONCAVE SUPPORT PLATE AT THE UPPER END OF EACH OF SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORT BRACKETS, A PAIR OF INVERTED U-SHAPED DIVIDING BOARD SUPPORTS POSITIONED ONE ON EACH PAIR OF SUPPORT PLATES ON SAID UPRIGHT SUPPORTS, MEANS SECURING SAID PAIR OF DIVING BOARD SUPPORTS IN THE GROUND, AND A DIVING BOARD SECURED TO SAID PAIR OF DIVING BOARD SUPPORTS. 